Last night it was Earth Hour, and this year I remembered and joined in at the right time. It was nice to sit quietly knitting by candle light knowing that I was taken part in something much bigger. I’m not really a great fan of going out and spending time with people, the hermit in me much prefers to be doing my own thing in my own space but I get drawn to events like Earth Hour and Spend Nothing Day and it makes me feel included in a community of like minded people.
One of my biggest bug-bears is the way that a large part of society refuses to take part, they are quite happy to moan about and gripe about things almost as a default mode of speech but ask them how they are going to help and they don’t know. They disempower themselves, and are happy to think that someone else will take care of it as “what can they do any way?”.
Things like Earth Hour bring people together and offer them a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed) activity to take part in. It is something you can point to and say “well, you could start with this”.
The next ‘protest’ I am taking part in is A Nestle Free Easter (an event happily bought to my attention by Facebook, so there is a use for it after all…)
April the 4th is Easter Sunday and we would like for it to be a nestle free easter. Nestle have admitted recently they are using unsustainable palm oil in their chocolate manufacturing meaning the rainforests of Indonesia are being cut down to plant this palm oil and it is destroying the homes of the orangutans who are on the verge of being extinct.
In addition they are responsible for the deaths of 1.5 million babies a year in developing countries due to their aggressive marketing of formula milk. Giving free formula (against the WHO code) and telling breastfeeding mothers that their formula is better than breast milk. Once the mother milk has dried up, they take back their formula and they have to buy it which they can’t afford. The conditions aren’t good for making formula safely and because babies are not protected any more by breastmilk they are dying.
This is also in addition to the using of child labour to pick the cocoa bean and their practices of aggressive marketing of formula. They are the most boycotted company in the world. Please sign up to show you will be having a nestle free easter
Boycotting products is not something I am that good at, shops and businesses, yes, and I have a whole list of shops I will never set foot in. Mother has boycotted Nestle for as long as I can remember, but I have only done so in phases.
Nestle own an amazing list of comany’s (including Purina pet food, Rowntrees and Polo) so, as with Proctor and Gamble, it isn’t always obvious that it is their product but hopefully the day will highlight some of the less known products and companies linked with them.
If anyone else is taking part in this, or any other boycotting events, or just had a nice Earth Hour please let me know.
A Life Less Simple 
I took part in Earth Hour, too – it was great to feel part of something and make a collective stand.
It has been suggested that people boycott the big oil companies, such as BP and ESSO, when next filling up your vehicle with fuel. It’s been recognised that not everyone can do without a vehicle of some kind, but by boycotting these 2 oil companies specifically, it should help to bring down our fuel prices to a more realistic figure as crude oil at the moment is quite cheap, and the recent hike in the fuel prices is not all tax driven.
I think I have heard something about this one a while ago, easy enough done here as the little petrol station up the road is a ‘Gulf’ and are the only station I know that still have an attendance service
I took part in Earth Hour as usual – reading by candlelight.
Pics here on my craft blog:
http://holisticknitter.blogspot.com/2010/03/earth-hour-update.html
I just wish more poeple would join in – perhaps it needs to be more publicized – TV maybe – wouldn’t that be great it all TV shut down for 1 hour!
I boycott Nestle and Esso, but agree it’s difficult. I love Nestle fruit Pastle lollies – now I have to do without!!